Rite of Passage in the Western Culture - Research Paper Example

Rite of Passage in the Western Culture Rite of passage can be defined as those ‘ceremonies whose essential purpose is to enable the individual to pass from one defined position to another which is equally well-defined’ (Manning, 2000). In other words, rite of passage is a ritual that celebrates a specific turning point of an individual’s life according to the guides laid down by religion, tradition and even society. From the day a person is born, rite of passage start being practiced in his life even when he does not understand the concept of rite of passage. Examples of rite of passage include baptism, graduation ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, funeral etc. At every important point of a person’s life, rite of passage helps in the transition from one phase to another. The concept of rite of passage has appealed to many sociologist and anthropologists such as Arnold van Gennep who formed the term rite of passage and gave the different ceremonies practiced in different religious and societies, a common word. Gennep further categorized the three phases in three phases, namely separation, transition and incorporation. Gennep through studying the different ceremonies in different religions and societies had been able to find a common ground in all these ceremonies by studying the underlying concept in these rites of passage. Rite of passage in different races, religions and societies differ but they usually celebrate the same events in an individual’s life but in different ways. Similarly, the rite of passage of the west differs from that of the east and the rite of passage of Christianity differs from that of Islam. In this paper, we attempt to analyze the concept behind the rite of passage and the western ways of conducting rites of passage. Types of Rite of Passage Rite of passage can be likened to Shakespeare’s ‘Seven ages of man’, where man changes drastically from one stage of another. From the time an individual is born to the time when he is buried, rite of passage helps him in a smooth movement from one transition to another. According to Victor Turner, rites of passage can be divided into two broad categories, those that ‘accompany the passage of a person from one social status to another and (those that) mark recognized points in the passage of time, such as new year, new moon, Passover and so forth’ (Klingbeil, 2007). Thus rites of passage are both religious and social. Religious rite of passage includes the rituals that are carried forward from endless times and differ in each religion to a certain extent. One can find similarities between the religious rites of passage of different religious in the way that they celebrate the same events. For example, birth is celebrated in all religions. The Jews celebrate it in their Bar mitzvahs, the Christian in their Baptism, and the Muslims in their Aqeeqa ceremony. Social rites of passage are those rituals that have been introduced by the society itself rather than any religion. They are more contemporary in nature and celebrate the coming of the New Year and the transition of a child into an adolescent. Phases of rite of passage Arnold van Gennep has defined the rite of passage as a three-fold process which includes the phases of separation, transition and incorporation. In every rite of passage, the old self has to die in order to give way to a new self that adapts to the changes in the new life. In order to ensure that the rite of passage has been successful, the three phases need to be apparent in one way of the other. Separation: By the term separation, Gennep refers to the death of the old self. The ritual enables the old self to die so that the new self may emerge. They have to separate themselves from what has been left behind from their old self, which could include their homes, surroundings and certain objects. The Separation phase is often violent and abrupt in nature so that the individual does not cling to the old way of life. Transition: Once the old self dies, one cannot expect the individual to move abruptly and quickly from one phase to another. The transition phase is the between period where the old identity is no more there but the new identity is yet to emerge and this phase is also known as the liminal stage (Gennep, 2004). The individual in this phase is going through a learning process whereby he understands the discipline and reorientation that needs to occur before he finally accepts the new identity fully. Truth about the new self is revealed in this phase and the individual finally accepts his new self. Incorporation: This is the final stage of the rite of passage whereby the individual finally accepts and welcomes the new self. In this stage, the individual embraces the society yet again when previously he had detached himself from society in order to understand and accept his new identity. The incorporation stage is followed by a celebration or a ceremony such as a communal meal. Rite of Passage in the western culture In every culture, rite of passage forms an important part of the culture and similarly in the western culture, rites of passage are imperative in order for society to allow its individual to smoothly pass from one passage to another. However, rites of passage in western culture are not as clearly defined as they are in eastern cultures. The reason for this is probably the advent of modernization that did away with the concept of rite of passage to a great extent. Before the advent of modernization, Church maintained hold over not just the masses but also the ruling power and thus they were able to clearly define and establish rites of passage according to the dictates of the Bible and also the Pope. However, the rites of passage in western culture have degenerated with time and there are no longer any standard rites of passage in western culture. People have developed their own rites of passage according to their perceived beliefs and opinions. But in most important events, rites of passage have a certain similarity within the western culture. Rites of passage are important for every culture since they provide guidance to the individual regarding his new life. When an individual moves from one threshold of life to another, he needs knowledge and guidance to move to the new phase. Rites of Passage allow for the knowledge and guidance as elders guide the individual and provide him with adequate knowledge on the subject. Without rite of passage, civilized society would be left without any guidance and the void that would be created will be filled up by pagan rites of passage. In such cases, the purpose of the western civilized society would be lost and the whole society will suffer as a result. Rites of passage are also important in order to allow an individual to accept the change in life more easily. Without the presence of rites of passage, emotions may well up and prevent a person from accepting and adapting to the change. Rite of passage helps in guiding the emotions to the proper direction. Rite of Passage in Western Culture can be categorized in the following divisions: Birth Birth is the first rite of passage that an individual goes through when he enters into the world. Birth is celebrated through different rituals in different society. For example, in Jewish culture, the rite of passage at the time of birth is brit milah, where the baby is circumcised. However in western culture, birth is celebrated from before the time of the birth and during the pregnancy of the mother. An example of this is the baby showers that are held by the mother’s friends in order to celebrate the possible birth of the child. The baby shower allows the mother to prepare for the birth, both emotionally and otherwise. On an emotional level friends of the mother come together, to relieve the pressure that the mother may be feeling when thinking about the birthing process. The baby shower also allows the mother to prepare for the baby’s things such as changing diaper stations etc. The baby shower is the rite of passage that precedes the actual birth of the child. Other than the baby shower, western culture lacks rite of passage during the birth stage. Once the baby is born, no rite of passage follows to allow the family to get used to the new change in their life. The three phase of rite of passage are meant to be completed during the baby shower that prepares the family for the child. Most people have developed their own rite of passage at the time of birth and they have been adapted mostly from the Christian religion. These include Baptism and even circumcision. Adolescence Adolescence is the time when a child is moving towards adult hood. This phase is the in between stage of adulthood and childhood and is thus the most difficult phase in the life of every individual. “In modern western culture there is no clear identifiable space or time for the withdrawal from normal modes of social action at the time of adolescence, not is there any explicit ritual process imposed by elders’ (Waller, 2009) While responsibilities increase, privileges also tend to increase. For example, as children enter the age of adolescence, they are allowed to drink freely. The legal drinking age of 18 further allows them free will to drink in society. The first glass of wine or beer that a child drinks in front of his family is an informal rite of passage where the parents acknowledge the fact that their child is no longer a child but a growing adult. Also certain other privileges are given to the teenager who includes staying out late and being allowed to date. Rites of passage in western culture regarding adolescence are usually informal and are not usually celebrated formally. These include the loss of virginity in both males and females and their acceptance of their sexual self. Also they are certain rites of passage that are celebrated subtly including the possession of a driving license and being accepted in the legal drinking age. This is often the developing stage for drug and drinking addicts who later become a nuisance to society in general. The most celebrated rite of passage in Western culture for the adolescents is the graduation ceremony. The graduation ceremony marks the time when adolescents are finally allowed to work in full time jobs legally. This thus marks the most important event of an individual and is appropriately celebrated by the student, school and the parents as the young adult finally receives his degree donned in the official black robe and graduation cap. Marriage Marriage is one of the most important and life turning event for an individual and thus rite of passage becomes imperative so as to allow for transition of one phase to another smoothly. Marriage involves the separation of one family in order to allow incorporation with another (Gurel and Beeson, 1979). In western culture, the concept of marriage is decreasing at a rapid rate as divorce rates are increasing and people are favoring live-in relationships to the traditional marriage structures. However, the rite of passage for marriage is quite clearly defined in the western culture. It begins with the exchange of engagement rings after a period of courtship. Once the couples accept the rings, they begin to plan for their marriage by fixing the marriage date and other details such as catering, music etc. The selection of the wedding gown is another rite of passage as the bride, with the help of her bridesmaid decides on the dress and veil which is optional. The dress is most commonly white and the groom is supposed to wear black. Before the actual ceremony, the groom’s friends get together and arrange a bachelorette party for the groom. This is basically the time for the groom to enjoy his last days of being a bachelor before he is bound with his wife and the responsibilities of a married life. Bachelorette parties are usually a combination of heavy drinking and occasionally wild sex. On the final wedding day, the bride is led to the groom as she is aided by her father traditionally. The bridesmaids trail after the bride and later join the groom’s friends. As the bride joins the groom, the priest begins to recite the wedding vows that are basically a Christian tradition. The bride and the groom have to say ‘I do’ at the end of the vows, after which the groom kisses the bride and accepts the bride as his wife. The ceremony is followed by the cutting of the cake and a formal party where the maid of honor delivers a speech for the happy life of the couple. Finally the couple leaves for their home or their honeymoon with the bride throwing the bouquet of flower to her bridesmaid. After the marriage ceremony, the bride often changes her name and accepts the surname of her husband. Death When a person dies, rites of passage accompany him in order for the transition to happen between life and death. The rite of passage for death differs depending on the person’s views on life after death. Some people completely disregard the concept of life after death while others strongly believe in Heaven and Hell. In the western world, one can find both the views in equal amount. However, funeral is common in both the conditions so that the relatives and the friends of the deceased are able to let go of the feelings that they still hold for their deceased relative. After the death of a person, the rite of passage begins with the transfer of the body to the funeral house. Here the body is prepared for burial by arranging for a coffin and putting the deceased in the coffin and sending him to the Church. At the Church, the priest offers a brief prayer for the deceased and the relatives come forward to pay their last respects to the deceased. This is known as absolution and the relatives may be allowed to look at the face of the deceased with the close family decide the coffin to be open casket. The deceased is then buried in the graveyard and the family goes back home where others come to pay their respect and condolences. Conclusion Rite of passage is basically a tradition that allows for a transition of an individual from one phase of life to another, which includes major events such as birth, marriage, and death. While most of the eastern cultures place strong emphasis on the rite of passage, the western culture has failed to develop strong rites of passage. Western rites of passage are few in number and even at that are mostly disjointed traditions that are not largely followed by the masses. However, one can find a common rite of passage in the major events of the life of an individual including marriage, death and even adolescence. References Gennep, A. (2004) The Rites of Passage, Great Britain: Routledge Gurel, L. M. and Beeson, M. S. (1979) Dimensions of dress and adornment: a book of readings, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co. Klingbeil, G. A. (2007) Bridging the gap: ritual and ritual texts in the Bible, USA: Eisenbrauns Manning, L. (2000) Rituals, ceremonies, and cultural meaning in higher education, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group Waller, A. (2009) Constructing adolescence in fantastic realism, New York: Taylor & Francis Read More